Settler violence stokes peak West Bank displacement since October 2023: UN

"Israeli settler violence and harassment in the occupied West Bank have displaced nearly 700 Palestinians in January, the highest number since Israel's genocidal war in Gaza erupted in October 2023, according to the United Nations. At least 694 Palestinians were forcefully driven from their homes last month, according to a statement by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Thursday."

"January's displacement numbers were particularly high in part due to the displacement of an entire herding community in the Jordan Valley, Ras Ein al-Auja, whose 130 families left after months of sustained harassment. [The displacements] include 600 displaced from Ras Ein al-Auja community, marking the highest single-community displacement due to settler attacks and access restrictions over the past three years, the statement said."

"Settlers in the West Bank, which Israel has illegally occupied since 1967, use herding to establish a presence on agricultural land used by Palestinian communities and gradually deny them access to these areas, according to a 2025 report by Israeli NGO Peace Now. The settlers rampage through Palestinian-owned land, destroying property and olive groves, injuring and killing civilians with impunity, often with the Israeli military's backing."

At least 694 Palestinians were forcefully driven from their homes in January, the highest monthly total since October 2023. An entire herding community in the Jordan Valley, Ras Ein al-Auja, saw 130 families leave after months of sustained harassment, accounting for roughly 600 of those displaced. January 2026 is the second-highest single-month displacement since October 2023's peak of 1,032. Settler violence and access restrictions are key drivers of forced displacement in the West Bank. Settlers use herding to establish presence on agricultural land, destroy property and olive groves, and resort to harassment, intimidation, and violence, often with government and military backing.

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